By Tom Morris It?s been a long while since I last posted my weekly Top-15 Team Rankings. During that time 2005 came and went, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl, the US still occupies Iraq and Tyra Banks started her own talk show. OK, so much for the news. One thing, as always, continues: baseball. This dear sport of mine in 2006 is taking as hard a hit as ever to its not-so-good name with the ongoing, public and now Congress-led steroids, HGH and amphetamines drug busts. Yet it goes on. And with the second half of the season about to start, what better time for me to jump in with my two cents? I mean, I can only withstand for so long the hundreds of daily emails from my desperately disappointed fan base. So, where do we stand? Clearly, the biggest story of the season are the sharp, talented and hungry Detroit Tigers. They own the Major Leagues? best overall record, arguably the toughest pitching staff, and in the process have brazenly managed to upstage a defending champion White Sox squad on pace for around 105 wins. No small feat, no doubt. They are exploding with confidence --Jim Leyland is looking like an old, grizzled rainmaker-- and over the past few months have proven many, many disbelievers wrong. That they are playing at such a high level in the AL makes their achievement all the more impressive. But while they inhabit the comfy throne atop my list this week, and will not disappear any time soon, I must admit the postseason will be a whole ?nother kettle of fish. They will run into Boston or Chicago and will walk away with the bigger bruises. The two Sox teams gave me a foreshadowing of thrilling ALCS moments to come with their intense series to end the first half. And one of those two teams will nurse their own battle scars all the way to the World Series. And who will they play? Well, there?s that other league as well, remember? Despite 8 2/3 innings of A-grade ball last night at PNC Park, the National League, as widely reported, are an underachieving collection of also-rans. The numbers sometimes lie, but not this time. The New York Mets are fun to watch, and are the standard bearers for this sub-.500 league, with even the rock solid St. Louis Cardinals scuffling their way to a slim NL Central lead. The Braves have finally, and reluctantly, sent in their letter of resignation, the Washington Nationals showed us what happens to Cinderella after midnight, and the Cubs are so pitiful even life support wants out. But aside from the Mets there is no clear picture, with almost every squad holding a chance. Mediocrity breeds competitiveness, for better or worse. Let?s call it the National League REST, where these teams ?including, amazingly, the tragic Braves-- continue to tease us all by tentatively toeing the line of excellence. And until one team truly raises its hand in class, they will all remain as is, feet firmly planted in the mud of mediocrity. But, you know, my word count just passed 500, so let?s get on with it shall we? Your Weekly MLB Top-15 Team Rankings. Ahhh. That felt nice. 1. Detroit Tigers (59?29, 1st in AL Central ) This was a real toss-up. The White Sox are the better team, and not just because of the World Series rings on their fingers, and by season?s end Chicago will have won the division. But Detroit has earned this spot, going 52 ? 23 after a 7 ? 6 start, clutching the arms of their impressive pitching staff. Justin Verlander (3.01 ERA) is for real, but look for Kenny Rogers? age to catch up with him come August. Tigers are 23 ? 10 against AL Central foes and play 13 of next 16 against them. 2. Chicago White Sox (57?31, 2nd in AL Central) Say what you want about PR calamity Ozzie Guillen. His arrival and the Sox?s level of play since then are not coincidental. And despite lefty John Garland?s issues (5.37 ERA), and the missing bat in OF Brian M. Anderson, just take a look at this team. Bobby Jenks is lights out, Konerko-Thome-Dye is scary, and Jose Contreras may never lose a game. AL Division winner. 3. Boston Red Sox (53?33, 1st in AL East) Looks like the Red Sox have put most of it together. In June/July they lose 4 straight, then go 14 ? 1, then lose 3 of 4 to the Devil Rays before taking 2 of 3 against the White Sox. Hmmm. Their new-look defense is doing exactly what they all hoped it would, and Big Papi is the Boston Godfather. Even Manny Ramirez seems relatively happy. But this team should have much more than a three-game lead over depleted NY. Their rotation has always been their sore spot, so let?s see if it creates problems for them in the months to come. 4. New York Mets (53?36, 1st in NL East) The Mets? success atop the NL Standings may be due in part to the lack of competition in that league, but not entirely. They have pop in their batting order, a wunderkind named David Wright, and Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez spearhead the team?s pitching staff (NL-2nd 4.01 ERA). Billy Wagner has also proved to be a smart acquisition. Yet despite this fact, they are 11?13 of late, and Pedro has an injury which could be nothing? or something that keeps him out for a long time. And Glavine is 40. How much stamina will he have eight weeks from now? Doesn?t matter. They can go on cruise control and win this division. 5. New York Yankees (50?36, 2nd in AL East) It?s a testament to the grit and depth on this team they are only 3 games out. I mean: Sheffield, Matsui, as well as DL stints for Damon, Giambi and Williams. Carl Pavano was a bust. Plus Randy Johnson has been a part-time success, and a full-time question mark. Which Randy will show up every five days? Yet the fact remains: we all wait for the Yanks to make their move at some point in the year. They did it last year, winning the EAST despite starting 11 ? 19! Don?t count them out yet? 6. St. Louis Cardinals (48?39, 1st in NL Central) The Cardinals may have started to slide once Superman Pujols hung up his cape while on the DL for three weeks. But that?s not their issue. As many know by now, their pitching is in trouble. Jason Marquis and Jeff Suppan are unreliable right now, Matt Morris is long gone, and aside from Chris Carpenter, who else is ?stepping it up? right now? Eternal shame Sidney Ponson has been released despite his strong start to the season. But the Cards are still the team to beat, and with La Russa at the helm, they will only scuffle for so long. 7. Toronto Blue Jays (49?39, 3rd in AL East) The Blue Jays have flirted with making a serious run at the Yanks and Red Sox. And let?s face it, that?s a tall wall to climb. And they fit right in with the rest of the division: solid, run-scoring line-up, backed up by a sometimes successful rotation. Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in the majors, but aside from him who is there? Josh Towers earned a trip to the minors, Ted Lilly is middling, and if AJ Burnett, now off the DL, doesn?t start to act like the #2 starter the Blue Jays are a ?next year? team a la the Cubs. 8. Minnesota Twins (47?39, 3rd in AL Central) The Twins have been pleading with Bud Selig to be moved to another division. 21?2 they went! And still gained negligible ground on the two best teams in the majors. Anywhere else and they?d be trying to calculate their magic number already. Mauer and Morneau carry this line-up on their backs, and Liriano and Santana are money, full stop. But how much hole-in-one baseball can they continue? The Wild-Card clearly will come from the AL Central, but it won?t be these overachievers. 9. San Diego Padres (48?40, 1st in NL West) It may look like exactly the same bottleneck NL WEST as last year. But not quite. The Padres finished the first ?half? on a roll, and are eight games above .500, a big improvement over their division-winning record of a year ago. And an NL-leading 3.91 ERA is bested only by the outstanding pitching staff in Detroit. But only the Cubs, Devil Rays and A?s have scored less runs than these guys. But an incomplete team has proven to work in this division so far. Who?s to say they can?t keep it going for the rest of it? 10. Los Angeles Dodgers (46?42, 2nd in NL West) This is where the list gets muddy, and harder to distinguish. In fact #?s 11 ? 15 could almost go to anyone in the National League, Cubs and Pirates excepted. I still feel the Dodgers have what it takes to make a solid run and wrest the division from the Padres, though naturally it could go to just about anyone. Penny, Lowe and Sele lead a solid rotation, and their hitting is OK too this year, aided in no small part by rejuvenated Nomar. But boy will they miss Eric Gagne. They surely already do. Even I do. That guy was a beast. 11. Oakland Athletics (45?43, 1st in AL West) I may be from Baltimore but I live in Oakland. I have been to A?s games. I have friends who swear by this team, and I applaud the small-market genius that is Billy Beane. But, with too many gaps in their line-up, Rich Harden on the DL for some time, and an Angels team that will string together a mad streak of wins this month, this year the A?s will play handmaiden. A heartfelt SORRY to my friends and to A?s fans everywhere? 12. Cincinnati Reds (45?44, 2nd in NL Central ) I really would like the Reds to do the right thing and shore up on some sorely need pitching help. Teams have proven in the past they could get by with shoddy pitching. It?s been done. But not this squad. They may have a small group of woodsman in their line-up, and a Ken Griffey, jr., who has ?stayed healthy! But the Cards continue to leave the door half-open for Cincy, but it will shut before they know it. They need to make a run now, or it?s all over. 13. Los Angeles Angels (43?45, 3rd in AL West) The Angels, it has been said on ESPN and other sports sites, now have the best starting pitching in the AL. Uh? did they forget about the Tigers? The Halos sure look more formidable with Bartolo Colon in a groove, young hot hand Jared Weaver back in the rotation and John Lackey?s 2.88 ERA. They sure are lucky they are in this division. Otherwise they?d be dead and buried already, truly looking down at us from heaven. As it is they aren?t, and will go absolutely torrid on their competition. Only, I say, only if they go get a bat to help monster Vlad out. 14. Texas Rangers (45?43, 2nd in AL West) The Rangers have established an unenviable recent trend the past few years. Start out strong, impress everyone with their pitching, then? somewhere around the half-way point go deep south with the birds from ?Wings of Migration?. Will it happen this year? Some may say it already has, going 13 ? 17 since early June. A 4.63 team ERA isn?t exactly awe-inspiring, though Akinori Otsuka (17 saves, 2.13 ERA) has been a pleasant surprise as closer. Michael Young, Mark Texeira and Gary Matthews, Jr., won?t be enough to lift this team to a division title. 15. Colorado Rockies (44?43, 3rd in NL West) The Rockies have stumbled their way to the half-way mark, firmly entrenching themselves with all the other NL undecideds. Kim, Fogg, Jennings, Francis? Yeah, me too. But they are just part of a pitching staff that is 3rd in the NL in ERA. But after Matt Holliday, the line-up is thin, and without additions, they won?t be able to rely on bats to get them to the postseason. As for the rest of those teams, many of you don?t even deserve saying out loud, let alone inclusion in the list this week. But some of you were close. Don?t worry. Give it a week. With so many teams still doing the clumsy .500 dance, there?s always a chance to cut in. I?m going to cut out of here. Many words spent, little wisdom imparted. So be it. Many questions to be answered this second half. The fun is only just beginning. As always, keep your mind in the game, and the game on your mind.